Poltergeist (2015)Released: May 21, 2015

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Horror and Comic Book genre film legend Sam Raimi and his trusty side-kick, Poltergeist Director Gil Kenan, have taken to social media to help pitch their upcoming remake of the 1982 supernatural thriller to prospective viewers.

20th Century Fox, the distributor & current rights holder, surprised the industry by moving the film up from its original July 2015 release date to the third weekend of May. This is not such a bad idea given the main competition for genre audiences at the same time will be Disney's Tomorrowland.

Poltergeist is released in Australia on May 21, 2015.

New poster & TV Ad for Poltergeist release date changeApril 3, 2015

Despite the presence of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road and Tomorrowland, 20th Century Fox have shifted the US release date for Poltergeist to May 22, 2015. In terms of horror films, there's only two wide releases (Unfriended & Before I Wake) anywhere near the Poltergeist date, so it makes sense to have the film out with little to no competition for horror fans. Insidious Chapter 3 releases two weeks later, so the film's staying-power will be tested. If it performs well, this will, no doubt, be the first in a long line of new Poltergeist films.

The rebooted Poltergeist appears to be a straight forward remake of the 1982 original, if the trailer for the film is anything to go by. The trailer definitely falls into the "telling the audience member everything about the film" category, as all the key characters are introduced and the film's antagonist(s) are revealed. With so much detail revealed, the film's producers seem to be banking on the franchise's in-built fan base who have fond memories of the three Poltergeist movies that were released in the 1980s. In addition, the trailer & newly-released poster, tell us that this new version comes from the producers of The Grudge and Evil Dead. It's a non-specific claim, as there have been multiple versions of these movies released and there's a connotation associated with this kind of marketing that tells the audience that the makers of the film must know a thing or two about the horror genre to have been associated with these highly-regarded genre brands; regardless of which version they've actually been associated with.

Watch the first trailer for Poltergeist...

Still shots from the first trailer ...

Fans of the original 1982 Poltergeist movie will be familiar with a number of the images that appear in the first trailer for the 2015 reboot. The images that show young actress Kennedi Clements, who plays Madison Bowen, are similar to the iconic images of young Heather O'Rourke, who played Carol Anne in the original. It seems the 2015 version supernatural spirits make no secret of their presence, as a number of scenes in the trailer show that the new family - the Bowens - are very much aware of the threat before Madison is abducted. There appears to be a lot of 'homage' present in the film, if the trailer is an indication of what audience members can expect. Given Sam Riami and Robert Tapert's involvement in the film, lets hope it's that and not a straight-out remake.

One of the more intriguing reboot movies due for release in 2015 is Poltergeist 3D, based on the classic 1982 film directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg. Older movie fans may remember the urban myths surrounding the original film where it was rumoured that Spielberg took over directing the film part the way through production when it became clear that Hooper wasn’t up for the job. Poltergeist 3D is directed by Englishman Gil Kenan, who has two previous feature films to his credit – Monster House (2006) and City of Ember (2008). Much like the original film, an older, experienced film-maker is on board as producer in the form of Sam Raimi. As far as specialist horror film makers go, they don’t come much more experienced than Raimi, whose credits include the classic Evil Dead trilogy, Darkman and Drag Me To Hell. That’s not forgetting his mainstream feature film career that includes the first Spider-Man movie trilogy, as well as his extensive TV resume with long-running series including Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

Story details have been vague, up to this point, but it’s hard to imagine that Poltergeist 3D is going to stray too far from the formula that made the original film successful. The movie’s Facebook page has dropped a few hints suggesting that it’s the same premise just with more horrific mayhem channelled through 21st century mediums such as smart phones and iPads. There’s also a suggestion that, in this new film, the entire neighbourhood will be affected, as if the entire Desperate Housewives street was built on the cemetery; not just one house! The screenplay is by experienced writer David Lindsay-Abaire, whose body of work includes Robots (2005), Rise of the Guardians (2012) and Sam Raimi’s own Oz The Great & Powerful (2013). What we do know is that, once again, we’re going to see a little girl drawn into the maw of a nasty parallel dimension where all manner of horrors await.

Kenan and Raimi have assembled an eclectic cast for Poltergeist 3D headlined by the versatile, but seemingly always kooky, Sam Rockwell, who plays Eric Bowen, the father-role played so well by Craig T. Nelson in the original 1982 film. Mad Men and United States of Tara co-star Rosemarie DeWitt plays Amy Bowen, the mother; while Saxon Sharbino and Kyle Catlett take on the role of siblings Kendra and Griffin. All eyes, however, will be on young Kennedi Clements who plays Madison Bowen, the ‘Carrie Anne Freeling’ equivalent character played by Heather O’Rourke in the original Poltergeist trilogy. Sadly, O’Rourke was just twelve years old when she died, suffering complications from Chron’s Disease, but she will always be remembered for her role as ‘Carrie Anne’ and the fantastic delivery of the now much-quoted “They’re here” line.

Behind the scenes, a serious slate of talent has been employed to bring Poltergeist 3D to the screen. Spaniard Javier Aguirresarobe serves as the film’s director of photography and brings a wealth of experience from over four decades of film-making in his homeland as well as his work on international productions such as The Others (2001), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) and Blue Jasmine (2012). Aguirresarobe is a serious talent and is key to bringing both the creepy atmosphere and stunning shots required to sell the film’s supernatural story premise. Hyphenate film-maker Jeff Betancourt has editing duties on the film and his experience as a director and producer on horror film and TV shows should help provide the right kind of pacing Poltergeist 3D will need to sustain itself through a running time that should be somewhere between 95 to 110 minutes.

On the effects front, Kenan has brought in two really experienced guys to handle this crucial piece of the process for a film such as Poltergeist 3D. Michael Innanen is the movie’s special effects supervisor, in charge of the practical work that needs to happen on-set; while Ariel Velasco-Shaw is in the visual effects supervisor, overseeing the elements that need to be included after principal photography has been completed. Innanen’s body of work includes movies such as Kick-Ass (2010), the 2011 re-make of The Thing and the reboot of Robocop (2014). Velasco-Shaw has worked on several of the Final Destination films, as well as Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), Jonah Hex (2010) and six episodes of the break-out Fox TV horror show Sleepy Hollow.

It sees all is in readiness for Poltergeist 3D with the mix of talent both in front of and behind the camera. While highly unlikely, given the calibre of film-makers leading this production, it would be a shame if Poltergeist 3D doesn’t expand upon the original 1982 story in same way. Sure, horror fans want to see a combination of thrills, scares and gore, but it can’t be derivative of the original. Gil Kenan, David Lindsay-Abaire and Sam Raimi have had the chance to make this reboot one worth remembering. In just over nine months, we’ll all know if it’s been worth the wait.Poltergeist 3D is released in Australian cinemas on July 23, 2015.